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It was a triple header birthday celebration at Carnegie Hall. Israel’s 33rd, Carnegie Hall’s 90th and Jewish National Fund’s 80th! What better way to celebrate than with the deluxe Israel Ballet Company under the direction of Berta Yampolsky and Hillel Markman, artistic directors, with the JNF playing host. Rabbi William Berkowitz, its president had so noted in his welcoming address on the mammoth stage of Carnegie Hall.
George Balanchine, the noted choreographer, present in vi the first row was recipient of a special award for his artistic x achievement. In proper tribute the first dance work, “Serenade”, was his, an arrangement born in 1934 as the first ballet designed by him in the United States for Tchaikovsky’s “Serenade for Strings.”
The performance of the Israel Ballet was richly mated to it and the other works performed. They were sheer, fluid magic on stage with steps of heavenly, design. Their performance was of the quality toasted by the most renowned and older companies that have graced the world’s theaters of dance. Roy M. Cohn was chairman. Present in the Hall were Israel Ambassador Efralm Evron, Mrs. Yehuda Blum, Dr. HaCohen, executive with Bank Leumi of New York, one of the ballet’s sponsors. Over $150,000 was raised by the event and by the subscription of a number of Patrons and Sponsors that included Donald Trump, the real estate king in New York City: Victor Potamkin of the Cadillac auto dealership; Jerry Finkelstein, Wall Street Journal owner; Chase Manhattan Bank, Israel Discount Bank and Pspildky Caterers, among others.